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Dynamic Walsh Leaves Mark On Grey's

With that line, the striking Dr. Addison Shepherd entered TV infamy. It was at the close of the first season of Grey's Anatomy that Addison marched toward her estranged spouse, Dr. Derek Shepherd, and his intern/lover Meredith Grey, in the halls of Seattle Grace Hospital.

Played brilliantly by Kate Walsh, Addison (right) presented an unexpected face from Derek's not-too-recent past. With the addition of Walsh, Grey's Anatomy established a signature love triangle -- and then got some unplanned-for results, a New York Daily News column says.

Instead of being just a black-clad, wronged wife with her hair coiled tight, Addison became a thinking woman's heroine.

Addison, too, had guilt issues -- she had previously slept with Derek's best friend - but was also sympathetic; a dedicated prenatal OB-GYN, she had come to Seattle Grace ready to make amends.

While the character flits between steely and humane, alternating some biting put-downs with a comforting bedside manner, the woman who plays her breaks the mold in a very Grey's kind of way.

"Originally, I knew very little about this character other than the fact that she supposedly had an affair," says Walsh, who joined toward the end of the show's debut half-season.

"My only job was to rain on Derek and Meredith's parade ... but on Grey's, you never do know what's going to happen next... I think a lot of people [behind the scenes] became a tad concerned that women throughout the country would stone me."

Quite the contrary. In fact, as Season Three opens on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 9 p.m., the question on many fans' minds is, will Derek -- aka "Dr. McDreamy" (Patrick Dempsey) -- come to his senses and choose the complex Addison over the now-seen-as-somewhat-whiny Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)?

"[We've] shown a tender side to Addison, a human side as well as her professional one," says Walsh of her character. "Originally, I think more teenage girls rooted for Meredith, but older women and men sort of identified with the struggles Derek and Addison [were going through]. The Shepherds are seemingly great people who are really trying to make it work by hanging in there."

In last spring's Season Two finale, as Derek and Meredith emerge from a particularly risqué moment in a supply closet -- only legally blind viewers would have missed what color underwear Meredith had on under her cocktail dress -- Addison stands in the hospital corridor with Meredith's current boyfriend (guest star Chris O'Donnell), sad and horrified.

Who will wind up with whom is left up in the air.

Scenes such as these, along with Walsh's charm, are making many root for an Addison/Derek reunion, and are helping to make the show a smash. By the end of last season, it was drawing a bigger audience than its Sunday-night lead-in, Desperate Housewives. Not even ER makes medicine so sexy.

The show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, has given that old chestnut genre the medical drama an infusion of sex appeal, with some extra brainpower to boot. Viewers love the personal and professional crises of Seattle Grace's residents and staff, and an army of female McDreamy fans have risen up to give Dempsey a career lift.

The fact that producers called on Walsh to further quicken the show's pulse was a shock to the 38-year-old Tucson, Ariz., native, one of five siblings raised in an Irish-Italian Catholic home. The only performer in the bunch, she attended the University of Arizona and did regional theater before moving to Chicago to study at the Piven Theatre Workshop - run by Entourage star Jeremy Piven's parents.

Although Walsh studied drama, she remembers telling everyone within earshot that her break would come via comedy. They should have listened: In New York in the '90s, Walsh was a member of an improv group called Burn Manhattan, and, in 1997, joined The Drew Carey Show.

"Drew Carey was my first sitcom, and I remember a director stopping me as I was about to make an entrance [on stage] and asking, 'Kate, you know to hold for the laughs, right?'" she said. "Of course I knew! That's like saying, 'You do know to keep your eyes open when you talk?'"

After more TV comedies (HBO's Mind of the Married Man, Norm MacDonald's The Norm Show) and filming Will Ferrell's 2005 soccer-parent goof Kicking and Screaming, Walsh signed on to Grey's Anatomy.

"Kate has succeeded in making Addison very sympathetic, which was not initially the easiest thing to do," says one of the show's executive producers, Betsy Beers. "Her comedic talent has helped add another dimension to the character. And she has no fear of taking chances."

Walsh has made Addison essential to the DNA of Grey's. The reaction to Addison and Derek was so strong, in fact, that producers junked scenes Walsh and Dempsey had already filmed, fearing that they might overpower the Derek -Meredith story line.

"Patrick and I have so much fun together, it was frustrating for us [to have those scenes cut] - because we were starting to feel like we were in a miserable marriage," Walsh said.

"It's very hard to play [an unhappy couple]. It's challenging for us, whether these two characters are going to work things out. We were both like, 'C'mon, let us have some fun! Let us connect!'"

The tussle of love between Meredith, Derek and Addison shows zero signs of cooling this season, to say the least. When last we saw TV's favorite and most romantic mess, Meredith was fresh off her coital bliss with McDreamy and her sweet, kind, too-good-for-her veterinarian, Finn Dandridge (Chris O'Donnell, below) was lovingly beckoning her.

But after one and a half seasons of penance, has Addison been punished enough? Sure, she cheated on her husband - with his best friend. And yes, that may have driven him into the arms of another woman.

But how much longer will she be chastened by guilt now that they're both guilty?

So, who should end up with whom? Should Derek choose Meredith or Addison? Here's a breakdown of the infamous love triangle's two female sides.

ADDISON FORBES MONTGOMERY SHEPHERD

What we love about her: She cheated! On television, the philandering-spouse role is usually reserved for men. But Addison shows a kind of independence and devil-may-care indulgence that every woman can cheer for.

And having paid her debt -- by witnessing her husband's affair -- she's trying to save her marriage. There's something noble (if misguided) about that. Plus, she's also a neonatal surgeon. What job could be nobler?

What makes us cringe: Well ... she cheated. Viewers aren't programmed to overlook such indiscretions in TV heroines. And she's a touch too noble. Worse than her cheating may be her putting up with his cheating.
Why she and Derek wouldn't work: He probably doesn't love her, given all that she's done, and all he's done in response.

Why they would: Unlike Meredith, she's an adult. And they've both strayed, so they can scratch that off the "marriage inevitables" list. Then it can be smooth -- if uneventful -- sailing into the sunset.

MEREDITH GREY

What we love about her: She's real. She's utterly flawed. She's striving. And the fact that she gave in to lust and hooked up with McDreamy yet again in the season finale makes Meredith - much to the postfeminist collective chagrin - totally relatable.
What makes us cringe: Her mopey, self-indulgent side. Her inability to make a decision. Her lack of self-control. Her painfully obvious self-destructive streak. And her sloppy sexuality - why, again, did she hook up with George (T.R. Knight)?

Why she and Derek wouldn't work: She doesn't know what she wants, which means she's sure to break his heart. She seems predisposed to do the wrong thing (sleeping with George, if it has to be said again ...). She's selfish. And there's a distinct possibility that she longs for McDreamy precisely because she knows in her heart that he's the wrong choice.

Why they would: There's only one reason, and fans will have to wait to see if it's true: McDreamy is hopelessly, dumb-struck, slack-jawed, no-one-else-exists in love with her.

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lester•September 27, 2006 15:36

I have read all that everyone has said and the bottom line is that all the charecters are needed... they feed off each other and that is what makes this show so great. look at friends same type of senerio. my wife and i live for thursdays. we have season one on dvd and also season two. my hats off to ALL the cast we love you all equally. keep it up guys and gals....

Kate•September 18, 2006 02:21

Agree. Agree. Agree. Agree.I love Kate Walsh.I just finished watching all of season 2 straght through and there is one character who makes the show....and it is Addison. LOVE

Keyah•September 14, 2006 22:48

I have to admit that I, (oh the horror of it all!) like Addison. However I can totally relate to Meredith. Some might refer to her as a tramp, but I see her as "REAL". Everyone makes mistakes, not to mention her "obvious Daddy issues". She's flawed in such a a way that makes her character totally believable. Everyone woman may not be like her, but there are enough of them who are. Also...enough of the George thing...he's great-nice-sweet-caring, but he knew that she wasn't into him, he took advantage of an opportunity, and it backfired. C'est la vie. Addison and Derek, don't evoke the same amount of interest in me as Mer-Der. I don't think Mer-Der will work out, but one can only hope!

Julia P.•September 14, 2006 15:25

i absolutely adore addison (Kate Walsh). GA wouldn't be the same without her in the mix. but c'mon writers, i agree that addison has been in the dog house long enough. she's admitted again & again that she did wrong, enough with the punishment and let's see the two of 'em rekindle what was lost. . .two wrongs don't make a right, so what positive message are the writers trying to convey with mcdreamy sleeping with his ex-mistress. a low blow to married couples trying to recover after infidelity. but i digress. . . as much as i love grey's, i got to be honest that i don't feel to strongly for meredith, not as much anymore. s2 showed us viewers how really "messed up" she is, so enough already -- we get it. what i have a problem is that, meredith shouldn't get to choose which guy she should be with. on the one hand you have a man that's married, and the other, a man that's willing to begin a life with her. hmmm. . .seems like an easy one, even for me. . .but that's the thing with television, it pauses for moments like these. so i have a feeling that meredith may jst run into the arms of finn. . .we shall soon see.

Raine•September 14, 2006 11:26

Addison (and Kate Walsh) wasn't the reason why I started watching GA, but she's DEFINITELY the reason why I'm hooked on the show now. Along with Cristina, the character of Addison is one of the most interesting characters on the show. I hope they'll give viewers more Addison outside of the Derek storyline - it'd be nice to see!

Felicia•September 13, 2006 01:09

Kate is great as Addison and Ellen is great as Meredith. Everyone has their opinion of both of them. I think Kate has brought a lot to the show. But I feel Ellen's character has a lot more that she can do and honestly I think Kate's character is pretty close to doing all she can do with it. We will just have to wait and see.

penny•September 12, 2006 20:29

Hello Kate Walsh unprofessional! hello what other female could play a transvestie(CSI) and pull it off? The character is who the charater is but KATE WALSH rocks!!!!

totallykatex3•September 12, 2006 18:45

OMG I think Addison/Kate Walsh is finally getting the recognition she deserves! Amazing actress! And amazing character! She adds so much to the show and keeps everything fresh! I think I would be so bored of Merediths whining by now if I didn't have Addison to look forward to seeing!! But I think Derek and Addison are over.. They don't work together, that marriage was getting out of control!! I'm hoping Addison will get with Mark when he comes back this season.. Hot couple!

Shanna•September 12, 2006 15:11

derick? They are over. Thanks Shonda!

Lisa•September 12, 2006 14:40

i love addison and derick I hope they end up together, they should give theri marriage a second chance

Did you say it? 'I love you. I don't ever want to live without you. You changed my life.' Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it, but every now and then, look around; Drink it in 'cause this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow."

I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you. I want to build us a house. I want to settle down and grow old with you. I want to die when I'm 110 years old, in your arms. I don't want 48 uninterrupted hours. I want a lifetime. Mmm. Do you see what happens? I say things like that and you fight the urge to run in the opposite direction. It's okay, I understand. I didn't, but now I do, I do. You're just getting started and I've been doing this for a long time now. Deep down, you're still an intern, and you're not ready.